The Manohar lal Khattar-led BJP Government has renamed the Haryana Urban Development Authority as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, saying its acronym HUDA sounded similar to the last name of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) will now be known as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), Cabinet Minister Anil Vij said.
“The name HUDA caused confusion as its acronym sounded too similar to Hooda’s name” he said, adding if the CBI raids Hooda, it used to give an impression as if HUDA has been prosecuted by the investigating agency.
He said the decision to change the name of HUDA was taken in a Cabinet meeting which was chaired by Khattar on Thursday, who is also the chairman of the State’s Urban Development Authority.
Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran is the Hindi translation of Haryana Urban Development Authority, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Kumar Bedi said.
“People say Hooda will be jailed. However, only those who were aware about the case (alleged irregularities in land deals) can understand what does it mean (Hooda or HUDA),” Vij said.
HUDA, a statutory body of the Government, was established in 1977 under the Haryana Urban Development Authority Act, 1977.
Hooda is facing a CBI probe in re-allotment of 3,360 square metre institutional plot to Associate Journal limited (National Herald) in Panchkula, alleged irregularities in allocation of industrial plots at Panchkula and alleged scandal in land acquisition in Gurgaon. The former chief minister, however, described the cases of alleged irregularities as “vendetta” by the BJP Government.